I guess I meant the linkage to the transfer case that changes gears. Like maybe it's not all the way in 2 wheel drive or something?
And how would I go about checking it out?

 

Nah, that's not at all consistent with the symptoms.

Remove the rear driveshaft from the yoke at the transfer case end, remove the rear extension (tail shaft housing, four bolts), have a look. There's supposed to be a snap ring on the output shaft up against the output bearing. You may need a new seal in the rear extension, but they'll usually survive the round trip to the end of the output shaft.

 

So I went under the truck today to tear into the transfer case, and I grabbed the front driveline to pull myself and I noticed it moved. Apparently the shaft that goes into the front axle isn't very tight when the truck is in certain positions. So when I checked the first time it must have been binding to where it felt tight. I could rotate it and feel it move in and out slightly. I haven't cracked open the diff cover yet, but what's usually cheaper, a rebuild or axle swap? I've done a swap once (different vehicle), so I can do it again. I really don't like the whole vacuum thing on the axle. It so far has caused me nothing but problems.

 

Swap would probably be cheaper, if you went with just another dodge front axle, so it was a direct bolt-in......

If you want to get rid of the cad, there are a couple options there....

Posi-lok eliminates the vacuum system altogether......

There are parts available to eliminate the cad altogether, and put a solid axle in there.

You could fix the vacuum system.... I went after mine one cold winters day, when it refused to work, (and left me stuck) and haven't had a problem since. Seems that water likes to condense in the metal lines, and then..... vacuum cad doesn't work.... I had to point my torpedo heater under the truck for about an hour, to thaw them out, then blew them out with air, checked/cleaned all the vacuum lines, replaced the stuff I even didn't like the smell of, and haven't had a problem since.

You may just have a loose pinion nut. Pull the shaft, tighten it down, and down the road you go.

 

I took off the diff color and the "fluid" was full of metal chunks and really thick. Atleast I found my problem!

 

I tried searching the forum but couldn't find what I was looking for again. So I think a front axle swap is what I'm going to do, but I can't find any Dana 44's with the same gear ratio on Craigslist (other than one but the guy wants $1000 for it). What other axles can I look at? Such as Ford axles, etc.. Is there a thread with a list of possible axles that'll be somewhat similar to just bolt on?

 

Dana 44 from a 94 to 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 is your only choice for a direct bolt in. You could make anything work, would just depend on how much fab work you wanted to do. Question is, do you have the skills to fab suspension that you would trust?

 

Hey guys! I was reading through this thread and can't seem to find the answer I'm looking for so I figured I would ask and hopefully someone can help me figure this out. So while driving a couple of weeks ago I noticed a vibrating/humming/grinding noise coming from the driveshaft/rear differential. It is really noticeable when I let off the accelerator. I am not sure exactly what it is but it sounds like its coming from either the driveshaft or the rear axle.

A little info on the truck:

2001 Ram 1500 5.9L V8 360. Gas.

Truck has a 6inch suspension lift with a 3inch body lift.
38 inch Nitto's
Transmission was rebuilt approx 10k miles ago.
As far as I know still has the stock 1/2 ton rear axle.


I am hoping to do the repairs myself (i am pretty mechanically inclined and have already done the plenum fix and I have built a couple motorcycles) NOT a mechanic by any means just do this as a hobby.

Looking for some help in deciding where to start. My plan is to open up the rear axle today and do some inspecting. Last week when I checked the fluid in the rear pumpkin it was full but the gear oil was black and smelled terrible. I will post some pics when I get a chance.

ANY and ALL advice is appreciated!

Thanks!

 

Jack up the rear, crawl under there, and start shaking stuff. If nothing obvious presents itself, pull the cover off the rear diff, and see what things inside look like.

Is the rear end leaking anywhere?

 

Thanks for the quick reply HeyYou! There was a leak from the pinion seal a few weeks ago and it stopped. I bought the new seal and am planning on replacing it along with everything else thats needs to be done. Other than that, no leaks.